As you may not have been aware, there’s actually a lot more to see in Iowa than the seemingly never-ending stretches of farms and corn fields. In fact, a promising young pop punk band, Exit, Emergency, is slowly building up a nice little scene of their own in West Liberty, snagging an opening spot on the recent Major League tour and even embarking on a tour of their own last summer. Armed with a solid seven-track EP entitled, “Getting Back My Fall Semester, This Is Me Fighting Back,” with surely more music on the way, all eyes are now falling on Exit, Emergency, anticipating what’s next.

The EP, released back in May of this year, is reminiscent of the pop punk glory days, certainly recalling the greats like blink-182, but one can also hear a lot of The Wonder Years in Exit, Emergency’s sound, too, specifically in the song titles and flow of the lyrics. There’s a wonderful sense of energy and youthful vibrance within lead vocalist Brian Martinez’s delivery, cranking out lines like, “I won’t say sorry for something I believe in,” and with a tight group of musicians behind him, you'll definitely start to believe in it yourself.

Exit, Emergency takes the mid-2000s approach to pop punk, forgoing most of the modern conventions of the genre today, while still paying homage to the classics. There’s not a single mention of eating pizza, and the expected breakdowns are almost completely absent, saved for the section following the chorus in “Late Nights Spent Thinking, ‘Here Again,’” which actually works quite well, given the fact that it’s the only time it really happens.

Skillful songwriting is certainly the band’s strong point, and they understand surprisingly well when it’s a good time to rock out and when they should hold back, making for a very consistent listen. After the slower, chant-worthy chorus of “You’re Apologizing For All The Wrong Reasons,” the lightning speed at which following track, “Keep Quiet, Never Quitting,” takes off creates a perfect contrast between the songs’ two emotions.

The album closes on a quiet acoustic track called “We’ll Run Away, Love Endures Delay,” and by its conclusion, you’ll be hoping that love won’t be the only thing enduring in Iowa this year. The lyrics are especially poignant on this track, specifically the line, “I love the way you won’t look down on me, or anyone, or anything.” Not just pop punk, but local music as a whole suffers from this exact disease: people’s inability to respect others for who they are and what they love. Music is supposed to be about supporting one another, and local artists all too often forget that because of petty differences. At least one band is doing it right, though, and for that, I thank them. So check out Exit, Emergency's release on Bandcamp and show it to your friends. Another record about respect is something we all could use.